Self-drafted leggings
7 June 2010, 13:31I bought this ASOS ruched tunic back in April and I love the design of it – the ruched panels are really flattering, it’s a viscose knit and it’s entirely lined in lingerie mesh. But when it arrived, I realised it was way too short to wear as a dress, but too long to wear as a shirt and looks just plain lumpy when worn over regular trousers or jeans. And with the panels going at weird angles creating an intentionally uneven hem, there wasn’t a natural point to cut it off and shorten it, either.
So I filled the wardrobe hole by creating some leggings specifically to wear with this top!
I used the legging draft in Metric Pattern Cutting and it fit pretty well in my super green “Flashdance!” lycra muslin (don’t worry, that lycra was bought only ever for muslins!), apart from the waist being ridiculously high, so I just folded out a few inches when I cut into my black fabric. I really like that this draft hasn’t got an outer leg seam, so these were SUPER fast to make on the overlocker – only three seams plus the waistband and hems. I actually made these last Saturday morning in about two hours (though I did the drafting a few weeks ago)!
Sorry for the squished belly button shots, but I wanted to show you my waistband finish:
I used my favourite method of applying waistband elastic here, which results in a stretchy waist but with a smooth finish:
- Overlap the ends of your elastic and do a ton of zigzag stitches on the sewing machine so you’ve got a loop
- Serge/overlock one long edge of the elastic to the wrong side of the top edge of your trousers
- Turn inside again so there’s no elastic showing
- Zigzag, twin-needle, or coverstitch the lower edge of the elastic to the trousers, stretching as you sew
The only problem was, I didn’t have quite enough fabric to make these, and I despise capris of any sort, so my only option was to create a dorky ankle cuff in the hopes that these will always be concealed inside boots:
This black fabric is special wicking Meryl lycra from Pennine Outdoor, leftover from when I made my running trousers. So I could technically run in these if I wanted to, too!
Though probably not in those heels.
Edit: Oh! And a late addition for UK readers – set your Freeview+ boxes to record BBC Four at 10pm tonight – they’re showing Valentino – The Last Emperor, which Johanna reviewed last year.
tags: drafting, knit, muslin, trousers
LOOOOVE THOSE!
— stefani sarah Jun 7, 02:00 PM #
I LOVE this outfit!! Thanks so much for explaining the elastic insertion method, I have always wondered how they do that in r.t.w. and now I’m totally going to try it. I guess serging the elastic always seemed counter-intuitive, but not anymore!
— marni Jun 7, 02:25 PM #
marni- Yeah, if your serger has a means to disengage the knives then do it, because you don’t want to actually cut the elastic at all. Mine doesn’t have that option so I just have to be really careful as I serge, making sure I get the edge right next to the knives…
— melissa Jun 7, 02:31 PM #
Oh, that’s a good tip! I would have used almost the same method for applying elastic, but use a zigzag instead of serging (which is in fact a lot easier). I like you leggings. This is one of the very few points where different editions of ‘metric pattern cutting’ differ: my, old version doesn’t have a legging block (t-shirt is as far as it goes where stretch fabrics are concerned)
— lauriana Jun 7, 03:13 PM #
Very nice Melissa. I really must check out the Pennine Fabrics website – I havent used them in years.
— Kim Hood Jun 7, 04:55 PM #
Your leggings pattern is exactly like my favorite pattern (Kwik Sew,maybe?)! I added a gusset to mine since I use for biking in winter (we can do that here in the Pacific NW!) and for snowshoeing, etc. Serging the elastic rocks – match your four points, stretch & go. Careful not to catch it in the blade, though – I did that once. Lovely, fun outfit you have there!
— M Kate Jun 7, 08:36 PM #
I always love your creations, but here you look absolutely fantastic AND comfortable. Wherever did you find those boots?
— Calico Jun 7, 10:29 PM #
I have had good success with the Carol #BS-039 leggings pattern from Burdastyle. They were miles to long in the rise as well but that’s an easy fix. Great top.
— arnysews Jun 8, 12:47 AM #
Yeah, I’ve been using an antique KwikSew for decades simply because of the lack of side seams, it’s a great feature. And how nice to be making these out of technical fabric! If you ever get a chance to go skiing or sailing or something you’ll be all set with pants that can get wet without killing you from hypothermia..
I like your dorky cuff idea, even though the look does need to be hidden :-).. always good to eke out the most out of those scraps.
— Marie-Christine Jun 8, 09:22 AM #
Fly-by notes: this looks AMAZING on you; omg I want those boots; and the Valentino movie will make you cry…well, at least I cried, it was so moving and emotional!
— Cindy Jun 8, 08:19 PM #
These look great with your tunic! Thank you very much for describing the waistband technique. I can’t count how many times I’ve referenced your blog for finishing tips (which I still find myself in great need of with knits).
— Olga Jun 8, 10:09 PM #